Kootu (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

:கூட்டு) is a lentil and vegetable stew in South Indian, particularly Tamil and Kerala cuisines. The etymology for kootu derives from the

word "kootu" which means "add" or "mixture/medley" i.e. vegetable added with lentils form the dish, which is semi-solid in consistency. The dish is noted for its nutty and complex flavors and textures, likely owing to the liberal addition of lentils and coconuts. It is typically less watery than sambhar, but more so than dry stir-fries. Virundhu Sappadu (typical Tamil feast) comes with a combination of boiled rice (''Choru'' in Tamil), sambar, rasam, curd,

poriyal ''Poṟiyal'' ( ta, பொரியல்) is a Tamil word for any fried, or sometimes sautéed, vegetable dish. It is called ''palya'' in Kannada, ''vepudu'' in Telugu, and ''mezhukupuratti'' in Malayalam. It is usually made by shallow frying ...

, kootu,

appalam A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad ...

, pickles and banana. All kootus by default have some vegetables and lentils, but many variations of kootu exist: * Poricha Kootu: A kootu made with

urad dhal ''Vigna mungo'', also known as black gram, urad bean, urid bean, mash kalai, uzhunnu parippu, ulundu paruppu, minapa pappu, uddu, or black matpe, is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative, the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the ...

and pepper is called poricha (means "fried" in

) kootu. Fried urad dhal, pepper, few red chilies, some cumin and fresh coconut are ground together.

Moong dhal The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...

and the cut vegetables are cooked separately. Then, the ground paste, cooked vegetables and moong dhal are mixed and heated. Vegetables such as beans and

snake gourd ''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' is a tropical or subtropical vine. Its variety ''T. cucumerina'' var. ''anguina'' raised for its strikingly long fruit. In Asia, it is eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash and in Africa, the redd ...

are common ingredients in this kootu. * Araichivita Kootu: A kootu which has a powdered (freshly ground)

masala Masala, Massala or MASALA may refer to: Spice * Masala (spice), any of the many spice mixes used in South Asian cuisine ** Masala chai, a flavoured tea beverage ** Masala incense, Indian incense using a spice mix ** Masala dosa, an Indian dish Pl ...

in it; the word ''araichivita'' in

literally translates to "the one which has been ground and poured." The ground paste is a mixture of fried urid dhal, cumin seeds and coconut. * Araichivita sambar: The chopped vegetables and

toor dhal The pigeon pea (''Cajanus cajan'') is a perennial legume from the family (biology), family Fabaceae native to the Old World. The pigeon pea is widely cultivated in tropical and semitropical regions around the world, being commonly consumed in Sou ...

are cooked separately. Then, the ground paste, cooked vegetable and dhal are heated together. Then add the ground paste of coconut,

Bengal gram The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high ...

, coriander, red chilies, a few pepper corns, a piece of cinnamon (optionally) - all roasted and ground. Season with mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add the vegetables, including shallots (known as "Madras onions" in India), saute and then add water. Add tamarind extract, and then the ground paste and boiled dal. Served with rice. Many other regional variations exist.

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* {{Indian Dishes Indian legume dishes South Indian cuisine Tamil cuisine Sri Lankan soups and stews Vegetarian dishes of India

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